Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A FIFTH entry on the GUTRIDGE family

I've been working with Steve Hodge and Margaret Guider to solve the origin and makeup of the GUTRIDGE family of the 11th Regiment, with plenty of help from others. In my previous post I mentioned that the death of a John Gutridge was recorded on the Ionian Islands, however the certificate was obtained and proved to have occurred at a much later time, and in a separate regiment. As such this John was unrelated.

MARY ANN GUTRIDGE

Mary Ann's death certificate in Gundagai in 1877 listed her age at death as 54, and place of birth as Gibraltar. The 11th regiment were stationed in Gibraltar from 1816 to the end of 1820. Mary's father was given in her death certificate as William GUTTERIDGE, soldier. The transcript of the entry of marriage for Mary Ann GUTRIDGE to William HODGE of the 11th Regiment on the island of Santa Maura (the Ionian Islands) on April 15th 1832. The fact she was a young woman on Santa Maura indicates she was travelling with the 11th Regiment of Foot who were station in the Ionian islands (Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, etc) from 1828-1838.

Mary's baptism in Gibraltar is still being sought - the LDS Research Center catalog shows that they hold the Gibraltar Catholic records covering the period 1815-1820 when the 11th were stationed there. I'm hoping to view these soon to transcribe events related to the 11th - if the GUTRIDGE family were Irish (as most were in the 11th) then there's a chance of finding records there.

WILLIAM GUTRIDGE (Jun)The 1841 census shows the 11th Regiment to be stationed at several barracks in Devonshire, and individual members of the regiment were afield visiting family - for example my ancestor William HODGE and his family were in Barnstaple at the time.

Inspection of the census for Mount Wise barracks at Plymouth showed a William GUTRIDGE.

This William Gutridge is too young to be Mary Ann's father, but given the rarity of the name and the fact that many offspring joined their fathers regiment, it was considered likely to be William Gutridge's son. Prior to Feb 1816 the 11th Regiment was stationed in Ireland, so his birthplace also fits reasonably well with movements of the 11th.

There is no indication of a wife elsewhere in the barracks census. Inspection of the UK BDM civil register indexes revealed few marriages for a William GUTRIDGE, including one in 1843 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, in the district where the 11th were stationed at this time.

Name: William GutridgeYear of Registration: 1843Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-JunDistrict: DaventryCounty: NorthamptonshireVolume: 15Page: 365 (click to see others on page)

Also on the page was a Caroline BOLTON.

The local parish for the barracks is Weedon Bec, and a query on the rootschat.com forum elicited a kind look-up from a user Sandy confirming that William Gutride of interest was married there:

This not only confirms William as being in the eleventh, it states his father as William (which matches with Mary Anne) a serjeant in the elevnth regiment as sergeant in 1843 - whether his father is deceased at that point is not stated. The indexes do not hold Chelsea Pension documents for William Gutridge (senior), so it seems likely he served till he deceased. Mary Ann Gutridge nee Hodge is also present as a witness at the wedding, confirming they are siblings.

Whie I have not ascertained the state of regiment records/reports relating to BDM in Ireland at this time, the local parish church records for Chatham Barracks are available at www.medway.gov.uk - Gillingham, St. Mary Magdalene CMB 1558-1967. One has to read through each scanned page. Among the baptisms and marriages recorded there is the birth of a daughter for William and Caroline:

Edited for display on web page.

Baptisms solemnized in the parish of Gillingham in the County of Kent

Diocese of Canterbury in the year

When baptized: March 9th, No. 1942

Child's Christian name: Emily

Parents Christian Names: William and Caroline

Surname: Gutridge

Abode: Brompton

Quality Trade or Profession: Private 11th Regiment

By whom performed: JL Garden, Curate

So William and Caroline had at least one child for departing for Australia - no GUTRIDGE entries exist in parish burials for this period. Interestingly, William's sister Mary Ann HODGE nee GUTRIDGE also had a daughter at Brompton

While William's movements are not known, his young family would have accompanied him to Australia. The eleventh served all over the Australia colonies, but served initially in Van Dieman's Land (VDL). There are no GUTRIDGE (or variation) spellings in NSW, however the Tasmania BDM indexes reveal the death of a William HODGE:

The age gives a birth date of 1814, which matches well with the 1841 census data. Miranda Marshall was kind enough to check the Launceston newspapers for a report of his death, and found one. Transcript:

Cornwall Chronicle Saturday Evening, June 5, 1847.

MILITARY FUNERAL Yesterday the remains of William Guthridge, one of the Bandsmen were conveyed to the Episcopal burying ground, attended by the Soldiers of the Garrison, and their officers, the band playing in the usual Solemn style the Dead March in Saul. The deceased had been ill for many months, but his disease prevailed at length not with standing the best medical treatment. The widow and daughter of the poor fellow, with the soldiers wives followed to the grave, where the gallant colonel, and all the spectators evinced the utmost commiseration for Guthridge who was a great favorite in the regiment. This was the first military funeral since the occupation of the new hospital in Brisbane Street.

A FUNERAL SERMON Will be preached at Trinity Church, tomorrow, by the Rev. Thom. Reiby, on the occasion of the death of the late William Guthridge of the 11th Regt. Deceased had been 18 years in the Regiment, and was much esteemed.

And so we also learn from these descriptions that William GUTRIDGE (the junior) joined the 11th Regiment about 1829, when he was probably aged 15 or 16. The Holy Trinity Church still stands in Launceston. The Episcopal burial ground was at the Cyprus Street Cemetery in Launceston. Several web sites exist that state that the cemetery was cleared by the Anglican Church in the 1950's to convert it to recreation ground for a private school. Apparently "all headstones were removed, with many being dumped or crushed" (http://www.launcestonhistory.org.au/2006/cyprus-street.htm), so sadly no headstone of William remains.

What of William's widow Caroline and child?

There is a marriage entry the following year in Tasmania for a Caroline GUTRIDGE:

1848 Return of Marriages in the District of Launceston in Van Dieman's Land

Number: 169

When married and where: 10th January 1848, Trinity Church, Launceston

Husband

Name an surname: Charles Brown

Age: 25 years

Rank: Bandman 11th Regt

Signature and Description of Parties: Charles Brown (signed)

Wife

Name an surname: Caroline Guttridge

Age: 25 years

Rank: -

Signature and Description of Parties: Caroline Guttridge (her mark)

Name of Clergyman: Revd Thomas Reiby

When registered: 10th January 1848

Signature: Thos Reiby (signed)

Married in the Parish Church of the Holy Trinity according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the United Church of England and Ireland by Banns. Thos Reiby Minister.

This Marriage was solemnized between us

Charles Brown

Caroline Guttridge x her mark

In the Presence of us

Nicole Crowe

John Richards Clerk

So Caroline married back into the 11th Regiment, marrying a bandman. Several of my ancestors were band members in the 11th (William Smith, Sebastian Hodge) and perhaps William Gutridge was also. Marrying a member of the 11th would have kept Caroline and any children with the 11th, rather than being abandoned in Van Dieman's Land.

In 1861 the 11th Regiment had returned to England and were stationed in Devon. The 1861 census reveals that not only were Caroline and Charles BROWN still with the regiment, Caroline and William Gutridge's daugter Emily is still alive (aged 16), and listed with the surname BROWN. Furthermore, Caroline had two children with her second husband:

The fate of the family following this is not determined, however the regiment subsequently travelled to India.

------

WHAT ABOUT THEIR PARENTS?

We don't have any information regarding the mother, however the father's name was William, based on both William's marriage registration and Mary Ann's death registration.

Till last week, when I was contacted by Saria Monsen-Elvik through this blog saying she was "editor and publisher of on-line ezine www.zantemagazine.com a community monthly about the island of Zante. I am researching the British Cemetery and have come across a stone marked William Gutrid, 11th Reg.Foot The inscription goes on to mention his 27 years service engaged mainly on the continent, also in Salamanca, Toulouse and the Pyrenees. Died 19.12.1833 aged 51. Could this be your man?"

Saria subsequently forwarded the headstone, in amazing condition given that it is almost 180 years old. There were also several other 11th regiment headstones in the cemetery.

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
SERT WILLIAM GUTRIDGE (note the small 'GE' to fit into the headstone space)
LATE OF THE 11TH REGT OF FOOT
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON
19TH DAY OF DECR 1833 AGED 51 YEARS
THIS STONE WAS ERECTED BY THE
NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF
THE ABOVE REGT AS A TOKEN OF TH
EIR ESTEEM FOR A COMRADE WHO
HAD SERVED A PERIOD OF 27 YEARS
MOSTLY ON THE CONTINANT WITH
THE REGT AND WAS ENGAGED WITH
THEM AT THE UNDERMENTIONED
PLACED VIZ.-
AT SALAMANCA PIRENEES NIVELLE
NIVE ORTHES TOULOUSE

This headstone gives some very useful pieces of information. The name and regiment matches the information we had for William, and his death in 1833 explains why he couldn't be found in the 1841 (or subsequent) census. The dates on the headstone indicate that William was born abt 1782 and joined the 11th Regiment of Foot in 1806. Saria also pointed out that "Gutrid died in December and here on the island it
feels bitterly cold with the damp, some days there's no let-up and it rains
heavily and continuously. No doubt they lived in town near the castle close
to the sea which, in winter takes a battering from storms. A deep mist can
sit for days over the flat plains viewed easily from the castle perimeter."

The headstone is especially useful because there are few records of BDM's for regiments and their families stationed in this region, and records of regimental enlistments are mainly available through the UK PRO for those who obtained a pension on leaving the service - so if they died no such record was created.

I have two 11th Regiment histories, though both give little information on their garrison time at Zante, being relatively uneventful.

The 11th Regiment was in Portugal from mid-1827 to early 1828. They were ordered to Corfu on 11th March 1828, and arrived there on 30th March 1828 - the most comprehensive history of the 11th describes the next decade as 'a largely uneventful period of its history'. In 1829 the companies were constructing the road from Corfu town to Paleo Castiggo - according to a contemporary report "Twelve kilometres out of town, the troops carved an inscription on the rock to register the fact that it was the work of the men of the Eleventh Regiment of Foot".

On Jan 10 1831 the regiment moved to Santa Maura (Levkas), and stayed one year before the headquarters and three companies moved to Zante (Zakinthos) - another company went to Cerigo (Cythera). They stayed in Zante till Jun 1835, when they returned to Corfu, and left Corfu in Jan 1838 for Gibraltar (thence Canada).

On New Year's day 1835 the strength was 11 officers, 33 senior NCO and 279 regular forces on Zante, along with 14 women and 33 children .There were lesser sized detachments on Santa Maura and Cerigo. Overall the regiment was under-strength, but of the total roll 498 regular forces in the 11th had between 7 and 21 years' service. The breakdown by nationality is also interesting (especially that the 11th was the North Devonshire regiment) - on 1 Jan 1835, 60 Privates were English, 18 were Scottish and 339 were Irish.

The only other note is that "an average of twenty hospital admissions each month took place on Zante and in the previous December (1834) a about forty people were sent to England for a 'change of climate'. Clearly Zante was an unhealthy place to be.

The cemetery in Zante is only now being rediscovered and explored (http://www.zantemagazine.com/life_history_island_living_british_cemetery.shtml)... as more headstones are transcribed, who knows what we'll discover.

1 comment:

Anonymous
said...

Hi all I would just like to let you know that there is still a Gutridge family liveing here in Athlone Ireland,the British Army who at one time had over two thousand Troops stationed in Athlone,withdrew from Ireland in 1922,Liam Gaffey,gaffeyl@yahoo.com